Quick donning hospital gown

ABSTRACT

A hospital gown includes a sheet of material forming a body portion and having first and second end panels to overlap each other. A first pair of magnetic components are horizontally spaced and attached to the first end panel proximately to a top edge. A second pair of magnetic components are horizontally spaced and attached to the second end panel proximately to a top edge to correspond to and to magnetically adhere to the first pair of magnetic components when the first and second end panels are overlapped. The width of the overlap ensures coverage of the body for modesty. The magnetic components enable quick donning of the gown. In one or more embodiments, a pair of sleeves are attached to the body portion. Each sleeve includes a shoulder access slit for introduction of medical device wires or fluid hoses.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The field of art disclosed herein pertains to articles of clothing, and more particularly for hospital gowns.

2. Description of the Related Art

Typical medical gowns are designed to be open at the back of a person's body and to be closed typically by a single set of strings that are tied together adjacent a top portion of the gown. It may be difficult for the person wearing the gown to tie the strings him or herself. Or it may be difficult for a nurse or caretaker having limited dexterity to tie the strings on the person's gown. If the strings are inadvertently tied in a double knot or otherwise tangled, it may be difficult to take off the medical gown. Moreover, because medical gowns are typically secured by a single set of strings, the rest of the gown remains open. This may be undesirable to modest or cold-natured persons.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The various exemplary embodiments of the present invention, which will become more apparent as the description proceeds, are described in the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a rear perspective view of a hospital gown with magnetically fastened, overlapping fabric panels and with access slits in each sleeve, according to one or more embodiments embodiment; and

FIG. 2 illustrates a rear view of a patient wearing the hospital gown of FIG. 1, according to one or more embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 1-2 illustrate a hospital gown 100 with improvements for reducing labor costs in a medical unit, such as save approximately 20-25 minutes per nurse per shift. The hospital gown 100 includes a sheet of material forming a body portion 102 and having first and second end panels 104, 106 for one to overlay the other. In one or more embodiments, the overlay is substantial, such as at least 8″ to ensure full coverage. A first pair of magnetic components 108 a, 108 b are horizontally spaced and attached to the first end panel 104 proximately to a top edge 110. A second pair of magnetic components 112 a, 112 b (FIG. 1) are horizontally spaced and attached to the second end panel 106 proximately to a top edge 114 to correspond to and to magnetically adhere to the first pair of magnetic components 108 a, 108 b when the first and second end panels 104, 106 are overlapped. The width of the overlap ensures coverage of the body for modesty. The magnetic components 108 a, 108 b, 112 a, 112 b enable quick donning of the gown. In one or more embodiments, a pair of sleeves 116 a, 116 b are attached to the body portion 102.

Each sleeve 116 a, 116 b can includes shoulder access slit 118 for introduction of medical device wires or fluid hoses 120. For example, the slits 118 can be 5″-10″ in length and run vertically.

In an exemplary embodiment, the overlay can be positioned dorsally for a patient placed on their back in a diagnostic system such as a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) system. Thereby the weight of the patient can maintain the overlay as well as screening the magnets from interacting with or causing artifacts in the diagnostic system. The substantial overlay also reduces the required number of magnetics to prevent exposure.

In each pair of magnetic components 108 a, 108 b, 112 a, 112 b, at least one includes a magnet. The magnet may be an axially magnetized neodymium magnet, for example. One suitable magnet is an N52 magnet sold by K&J Magnetics, Inc., for example. The magnet may have a maximum energy product (BHmax) of at least 49.5-52 megagauss-oersteds (MGOe). The magnet should be strong enough so that the fastening assembly 16 remains closed during normal wear of the hospital garment 100. However, the magnet should not be so strong as to prevent disengagement or cause undue exertion when the wearer wishes to disengage the pair of magnetic components 108 a, 108 b, 112 a, 112 b to take off the hospital garment 100.

The magnet may be plated so as to help prevent corrosion and/or to help strengthen the magnet material. In one embodiment, a neodymium magnet is coated with nickel or plastic, yet other options for coatings include zinc, tin, copper, epoxy, silver, and gold, for example. Finally, although a standard temperature magnet is likely sufficient for use in the magnetic magnetic components 108 a, 108 b, 112 a, 112 b of the hospital garment 100, a magnet having a temperature rating that enables the magnet to be employed at an increased operating temperature may also be used.

The other of each pair of magnetic components 108 a, 108 b, 112 a, 112 b may be another magnet having an opposite polarity or a metallic article that is magnetically attracted to the first magnet. The two magnetic elements may have the same size and shape, although they need not be identical. The magnetic components 108 a, 108 b, 112 a, 112 b can include a pouch, patch, pocket or adhesive layer to attach to the hospital gown 100.

The hospital/patient gowns of the present invention may be fabricated from any suitable drapable cloth-like material, including without limitation, textiles or fabrics made from any one or more materials including, but not limited to, plastics, paper, natural and synthetic fibers, and the like. Gowns may preferably be fashioned from flame-retardant materials, such as 100% polyester fabrics, and may also be fashioned from a durable material, which may be laundered one or more times for subsequent re-use. Such gowns may be individually or bulk-packaged and may optionally be contained in suitable packaging means that permit the gown to be sterilized subsequent to manufacture, and/or prior to patient use. The fabrics utilized for construction of the gown may also optionally comprise one or more stain-resistant chemicals, or one or more antimicrobial treatments (e.g., MicroBan™), or one or more flame-retardants, or such like. For example, in some embodiments a post-surgical undergarment is provided which incorporates LIFE® products, fabrics, coatings, and/or materials. Preferably, an antimicrobial substance is topically applied or inherently available in the fabric.

Depending upon the thickness or “ply” of the fabric used for fabricating the garments, the gown may be manufactured of a single ply of fabric, or may optionally be formed for two or more sheets of fabrics. In all such cases, the more desirable fabric thickness will be one that provides appropriate coverage and patient modesty, as well as durability of the gown itself. Alternatively, the gown may be fashioned out of a material that may be employed for one-time use prior to disposal, incineration, or decontamination. These “one-time use” gowns may be fabricated from a lightweight or inexpensive fabric, from one or more plies of a paper or suitable paper/fabric composite. They may be individually or bulk-packaged and may optionally be contained in suitable packaging means that permit the gown to be sterilized subsequent to manufacture, and/or prior to patient use.

The gowns of the present invention may be fashioned from one or more fabrics having substantially one color and/or substantially one pattern or design, or alternatively, may be constructed from textiles having a plurality of colors and/or patterns. The hospital gowns described herein may also be designed using fabric colors, textile patterns and/or prints that are aesthetically-pleasing or that provide both physical and emotional comfort during wearing. Particularly desirable are fabrics that are pleasing and/or calming to a juvenile or adolescent patient.

In certain embodiments, the fabric may be permanently or semi-permanently identified with one or more distinguishing mark(s) or logo(s) of the laundry/linen service or hospital that owns the garments, or may be alternatively identified with one or more distinguishing mark(s) or logo(s) of the medical facility in which the gown is issued or used.

In certain embodiments, the fabric may be more “kid-friendly” for young patients by designing and manufacturing the gowns disclosed herein from textiles and fabrics with patterns, colors, logos, and/or ornamentations that are particularly appealing or soothing to juveniles or adolescents. For example, the gowns may be manufactured from textiles that incorporate, illustrate, or otherwise depict recognizable commercial symbology (e.g., professional sports team logos, comic strip characters, cartoon characters, action figures, animae, or such like.

Because in certain circumstances, a patient may wear a telemetry device, an external pacemaker, a data recorder, dosimeter, pump, or other external medical device, instrumentation, or appliance, it is also desirable in certain embodiment to provide a means for containing such devices in the patient's hospital gown. In such instances, one or more device pockets may be fashioned into the design of gown to hold such devices. These pockets may be sized to accommodate typical patient monitoring devices and, may also be optionally provided with a horizontal slit in the rear portion of the pocket through which one or more wires, sensors, electrical leads, or tubes may be passed underneath the garment and into proximity with the patient's body. Such pockets are preferably located in the upper torso region of the patient, similar to the breast pocket on a conventional dress shirt.

While the concept of fabricating pockets is well-known in the garment industry, in an overall and general sense, a pocket may be formed by sewing a substantially square or substantially rectangular portion of fabric along three of its edges (for example, bottom edge X, and opposing edges Y and Y′, leaving the top edge not sewn, such that the fabric is attached to the body portion of the garment, such that the top wall and the body portion form a top opening that allows for insertion of patient monitors into the pocket.

In another embodiment of this invention, a patient record or patient identification pocket 300 or 305 is fabricated into the garment to provides means for storing patient records or data. Because patients often undergo procedures in various areas or departments of a medical facility, they are often are moved from one location to another, or from one facility to another. In such situations, there is a desire in certain embodiments to provide a means for securing medical records, identification papers, test results, patient data, or other paperwork such as doctor's orders to the patient's garment.

To minimize the potential for separating a patient and such paperwork, the gowns of the present invention may also optionally comprise one or more pockets, which may be fabricated into any suitable area of the garment (but preferably on the front surface of the garment, and in the approximate lower half of the garment) such that the material placed into the data pocket is readily accessible to both patient and attendant medical personnel. The fabrication and design of the data pocket is similar to the telemetry pocket disclosed above, however, the data pocket is preferably sized larger than a convention shirt pocket in order to accommodate larger items and paperwork.

The use of bar coding, and more recently, radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, has become widespread in recent years in a number of disciplines from tracking inventory to monitoring military troop movements. In the medical arts, biocompatible implantable RFID devices have long been used for the identification and monitoring of laboratory animals. Recently, commercialization of RFID technology has been extended to the use of RFID chip devices implanted into corpses to facilitate processing of large numbers of deceased following natural disasters.

Likewise, RFID devices have also been employed by the United States military for identification of medical patients in field hospitals and the like. More recently, hospitals have begun replacing the traditional patient I.D. bracelet with RFID-enabled wristband technology. Such identification devices represent an improved means for patient identification and data compared to conventional patient ID methodology. As such, the inventors contemplate that the patient gowns of the present invention may be readily configured to employ one or more RFID devices for patient identification. To that end, the patient gowns of the present invention may be adapted or fabricated to provide a means for securing one or more RFID devices to the garment. Such devices could be used to transmit pertinent information and/or data to attendant medical personnel. Because of the miniaturized configuration of contemporary RFID devices, such an identification means could be placed in one or more data pockets, coupled to the garment by suitable anchoring means (clips, hooks, adhesives, etc.), or the device could be fabricated directly into the garment either during manufacture, or secured to the gown prior to patient use.

In some embodiments, customization of the garments can incorporate one or more methods known in the art of textile manufacture and personalization, including for example, screen printing, embroidery, stitching, monogramming, lithography, dry transfer, dye sublimation, and/or ink transfer of one or more selected designs to the fabric of a patient gown.

Personalization and/or customization of the patient gowns may also be desirable to provide advertising and/or name recognition for a particular medical facility or even, for example, a selected service within a given facility.

It must be noted that, as used in this specification and the appended claims, the singular forms “a,” “an” and “the” include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to a “colorant agent” includes two or more such agents.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the invention pertains. Although a number of methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice of the present invention, the preferred materials and methods are described herein.

As will be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, the methods and compositions of the invention substantially reduce or eliminate the disadvantages and drawbacks associated with prior art methods and compositions.

It should be noted that, when employed in the present disclosure, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” and other derivatives from the root term “comprise” are intended to be open-ended terms that specify the presence of any stated features, elements, integers, steps, or components, and are not intended to preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, integers, steps, components, or groups thereof.

As required, detailed embodiments of the present invention are disclosed herein; however, it is to be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the invention, which may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific structural and functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but merely as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to variously employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed structure.

While it is apparent that the illustrative embodiments of the invention herein disclosed fulfill the objectives stated above, it will be appreciated that numerous modifications and other embodiments may be devised by one of ordinary skill in the art. Accordingly, it will be understood that the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications and embodiments, which come within the spirit and scope of the present invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A hospital gown comprising: a sheet of material forming a body portion and having first and second end panels to overlap each other; a first pair of magnetic components that are horizontally spaced and attached to the first end panel proximately to a top edge; and a second pair of magnetic components that are horizontally spaced and attached to the second end panel proximately to a top edge to correspond to and to magnetically adhere to the first pair of magnetic components when the first and second end panels are overlapped.
 2. The hospital gown of claim 1, further comprising a pair of sleeves that are attached to the body portion and that each comprise a shoulder access slit.
 3. The hospital gown of claim 1, further comprising: one or more magnetic components attached below the first pair of magnetic components to the first end panel; and one or more corresponding magnetic components attached below the second pair of magnetic components to the second end panel to correspond to the one or more magnetic components on the first end panel. 